The Sound of Silence
by YourFavoriteCONTRACTOR
Summary: AU ficlet where Chat accidentally cataclysms his voice and it doesn't quite come back. Spoiler alert for Silencer.


_**Authors note:** Thanks to everyone who reviewed to tell me about the trouble with this ficlet. It looked fine when I uploaded it an in the preview but apparently something got messed up between there and the actual posting._

When he sees the little jellyfish looking thing floating out of his mouth taking his voice with it, he panics. He flips over Silencer, pinning the akuma to the ground and then tries to grab at it, not wanting it to escape, and not wanting the akuma to steal his voice either. There is so much of himself in his voice, in his puns, the way he has freedom as Chat Noir. He can't imagine himself without it, who is Chat Noir without the bravado and puns, who is he without his outlet as Chat Noir? So when he closes his right hand around it, and realizes what he's done as the jellyfish screams and then crumbles into dust, he feels like he's lost a part of himself.

He looks down at the akuma he seems just as shocked as he is, Silencer's eyes are wide in surprise, or perhaps fear. Chat grits his teeth in anger; now he's wasted his cataclysm and he can't transform back into Adrien, recharge, and change back into Chat without his voice. As a last resort he digs his claws into the helmet and slashes it open, nicking Silencer's cheek as he does so and continuing to hold him down while Ladybug purifies the akuma.

He steps off the akuma as he changes back into Luka and holds his throat, trying to speak and looking over at Ladybug who chuckles at him.  
"You're right, there are some benefits to silence." she teases. He frowns at her and rolls her eyes, shaking his head slightly and giving her a look. She giggles and readies her lucky charm. Chat definitely feels like something is missing inside him, and he is anxious to regain his voice, there are so many puns he wants to make about the situation. He waits patiently for her to use the cure, but as the magical ladybugs wash over him, something isn't quite right. He touches his throat and tries to speak again, only silence comes out. He looks over at Ladybug who is busy with helping Luka to his feet, making sure the boy is okay. He decides he will ask her about it later… if he can talk by then, or to try and grab her before they need to go.

He takes his spot behind the camera as Bob Roth busts into the room, taped to a chair, and begins shouting and cursing. Chat keeps the camera trained on him as Bob reveals himself as the thief and the liar, having stolen music and designs from Kitty Section and Marinette. Chat broadcasts even as the man tries to dig his way out of the hole he just dug for himself. Chat is silent and he waves to Ladybug as she leaves, her timeer having run out. He unties the man silently, and when Luka comes over to thank him, he can only smile and nod before making his way home.  
He lands in his room and detransforms, coughing and looking up at Plagg, the fear finally showing in his eyes. He tries to speak...  
"I…" He coughed again, his voice is there, but it is weak and speaking hurts like he's had acid poured down his throat. Plagg hesitates, before pressing his forehead to Adrien's to comfort the boy.  
"It'll come back." He promises, but he really has no idea if that's true, this has never happened to his chosen before. He goes to eat his cheese, needing the recharge, Plagg wonders what will happen to Adrien, it's hard to be a superhero without a voice, unless their bond becomes stronger, very quickly, it's very likely that Adrien will not be Chat Noir for much longer.

Adrien coughs again, his brow furrowed as he goes downstairs to the kitchen for some tea and honey. He finds the kettle and begins to boil the water while he searches for his favorite tea. It's a concoction that his mother used to make when he was sick with a sore throat. He is halfway through pouring the honey in when Nathalie comes in.

"Adrien… are you alright?" She frowns, concern peeking through her professionalism. Adrien opens his mouth to speak but falls into a coughing fit instead. When he recovers he shakes his head at her and tries again.  
"Sore… throat." he croaks out, but just barely, his voice more like a hoarse whisper. Nathalie nods and pokes at her tablet for a bit before looking back up at him.

"I'll have the doctor come see to you this afternoon." she promises before leaving. He nods as she leaves and touches his throat again, there is still a sense that something is missing. He coughs again and finishes making his tea, sipping it slowly as he makes his way back up to his room.

He sits on his couch and watches the news, the tea is helping soothe the soreness in his voice as he watches. After a short time he switches to his phone and searches the Ladyblog, wondering if anyone else who encountered Silencer is having issues with their voice, though he doubts it, he's the only one who cataclysmed his voice. He sighs as he waits, trying a few more times to speak, each with mixed success.

He is working on homework when the doctor arrives. He gets a general once over and an appointment is scheduled with a ENT specialist for Monday. Until then he has to make do with smiles and nods and gestures. Nathalie tells him she will calibrate a tablet for him to "speak" with.

As he sits on his bed he feels bad for teasing Ladybug before, the banter had come easily when he was teasing her, but now he has a real fear that he may never speak properly again. He wonders what good he will be without a voice.

He waits till the evening before attempting to transform, as Adrien his voice is weak and barely comprehensible, but as Chat Noir, he is completely mute. He tries several times to speak and to call on his cataclysm, but he is completely silent. No sound escapes him, not even as he cries. He falls to his knees, he doesn't know how to change back, he doesn't know what to do next, he texts Ladybug and he finds a spot to wait for her to arrive, desperately needing her help. He needs to talk to her, even if talking isn't really an option right now. As it gets later and later, he gets more and more worried, his texts becoming more frequent and frantic until he finally gives up on reaching her.

He comes up with a plan to at least change back into Adrien, he will find footage of his voice online to use cataclysm, and then wait for the timer to run out, but before that he texts Ladybug one last time.

[I'm not sure I can be your Chat Noir anymore, my Lady.]

He stares at the text for a long time before sending it. He stares at his baton even longer as he hopes for a reply, or at least some assurance that she still wants him to be her sidekick, no matter what's happened to him. When it doesn't come he's bitter, logically he knows that she probably isn't transformed, and she will definitely reply when she has time, but emotionally he feels alone, lost and helpless. He feels like he's been abandoned, and he tries to reassure himself that he's not alone and he sit and stews with his thoughts.

He stares up at the sky for hours, it's late now, he should go home and go to bed, but he's crying soundlessly as he realizes what he's done. He's lost his voice, and he has no one to blame but himself… well himself and maybe Hawkmoth.

It's nearly dawn when he makes his way home, his plan of finding a clip of his voice saying cataclysm works, he uses it on a stray piece of paper, and when he finally detransforms five minutes later, he collapses in his bed and falls into an uneasy sleep, nightmares plaguing him as he sleeps.

The morning comes with no relief, his voice is still absent and he is quiet as he stares out the window, hoping today will be different. He tries to talk again.  
"Plagg?" He asks, his voice no more than a whisper, the Kwami stirs but doesn't wake and Adrien looks down at the ring on his finger with dread. If he can't transform, detransform or use cataclysm that what use is he as Chat Noir. He can't call out to Ladybug when she is in trouble, he can't antagonize the akuma with insults, he can't do the full function of his job as her sidekick. He looks back at the Kwami curled up on his pillow before taking a shower and getting dressed for the day. It's a weekend so there isn't much for him to do.  
At breakfast Gabriel comments on how nice a quiet meal it. It's a rare occasion for his father to join him for a meal and Adrien fights the urge to cry as Gabriel stares at his tablet, eating slowly, oblivious to his son's dilemma.

The reality of the situation has begun to sink in as he stares at his uneaten food, he has no voice anymore and the only thing he can think about are how many puns he has left to share. He thinks it's darkly ironic that is the only thing he can think about it. Gabriel excuses himself from the table, going to his office, leaving his son behind. Adrien stares into his food, his other hand on his throat as a black butterfly lands on his ring.


End file.
